Displays top list of planned home theater purchases, says CEA report

October 17, 2006

About one-third of home theater owners plan to purchase a new component for their primary TV room or home theater system during the next year, according to newly released research from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

The CEA study “Home Theater Opportunities” predicts total spending by home theater owners for the coming year is expected to be about $1700 per household, and non-owner households plan to spend an average of $1400 on home theater technology.

According to the report, more than half of planned household spending will be on the display alone. Displays also topped the list of purchase plans, with half of consumers wanting to improve their TV first.

Other findings include:

84 percent of consumers place high importance on video quality;

80 percent place high importance on sound quality;

83 percent put video and sound quality on equal footing when matched head to head;

Consumer budgets and CEA shipment data show a skew toward displays and video components for now.

The CEA classifies a home theater system as including at least a 34in display, a VCR or DVD player, a surround-sound receiver/processor and at least four speakers.